If you’re thinking about earning a nursing degree, you are likely considering all of your options. If you are already working as a nurse, this is especially important. You need a degree program that is also flexible.

Of course, in this day and age, the internet is our world. And despite being such a hands-on field, many nursing schools are now offering online courses. Taking classes from the comfort of your own home may sound like a dream, whether that’s because you need to balance school with work, or you simply wish to stay cozy this winter without having to worry about getting to campus. But what about the medical field? Is it possible to learn how to care for patients through nursing courses online? Here, we will break down what to expect from taking nursing courses online, and just what you can study from home.

Goodwin College is a comprehensive nursing school that offers nursing degrees at the associate, Bachelor’s, and even Master’s level. For added flexibility, our RN-to-BSN and Master’s in Nursing programs are offered entirely online for already certified RNs. We find this helps our students complete their degrees while working their jobs, staying active in nursing, and still managing life’s other responsibilities.

Before we dive into the fully online nursing courses at Goodwin College, it’s important to understand that someone just starting out in nursing, for the first-time, should strongly consider an in-person, on-campus course format. This is because clinical nursing skills and patient care techniques need to be practiced and perfected, over and over again. Hands-on experience in the lab and in real healthcare settings are some of the best ways to build your nursing foundation. That is why Goodwin’s associate degree program is offered on campus, where students can perfect their patient care. Students are also given the opportunity to work with real-life patients, in active healthcare settings, through clinical rotations. The associate degree in nursing can be completed in just 20 months part-time, and then you can move into fully online nursing coursework.

Here are some descriptions of the online nursing courses available through Goodwin College’s Bachelor’s (RN to BSN) program:

Foundations of Professional Nursing

This initial baccalaureate nursing course introduces you to the Nursing Theoretical Framework at Goodwin College, Quality and Safety Education for Nurses (QSEN), and the role of the nurse as a Health Promoter, Care Provider, and a member of a profession. The role and expectations of the baccalaureate-prepared RN are explored and integrated into personal professional practice through this online course.

Health Assessment

This online nursing course builds on the professional nurse’s theoretical knowledge, as well as the skills necessary to perform a comprehensive health assessment and physical examination on clients across the life span. In this course, you will build skills in medical history-taking and physical examinations. You will also gain basis needed to promote health and prevent and manage illness of the client.

Intro to Nursing Research

This course introduces the research process and its application to scholarship and evidence-based nursing practice. Qualitative and quantitative research methods are reviewed. Emphasis is placed on critical thinking in the nursing field. This course will enhance your ability to apply and integrate nursing conceptual frameworks, clinical research, and evidence-based practice into your career. Be prepared to become an informed consumer of nursing research after taking this course.

Public & Community Health Nursing

This course focuses on the client or patient as a healthcare consumer and member of a community. You will apply the Goodwin College Nursing Theoretical Framework to meet the needs of the client as well as the needs of the community. This course will focus on the role the nurse has in establishing partnerships with the public health system, and in customizing therapeutic care in order to protect, promote and restore optimal public and community health within the local, national and international populations. While this is an online nursing course, students are required to complete 45 clinical hours in a healthcare facility.

Clinical Nursing Leadership

The focus of this course is on the professional nurse as a change agent in the clinical setting. This online nursing course explores the healthcare system from multiple perspectives and how it affects the practice of nursing and patient outcomes. Utilizing the criteria from Quality and Safety Education for Nurses (QSEN), you can expect to develop an evidence-based practice change project. You will also be encouraged to apply and integrate previously learned skills in research, leadership, management, and nursing to transition into a proficient change agent.

Introduction to Healthcare Policy and Advocacy

Political advocacy is a major part of the role and responsibility of the professional nurse. This online nursing course examines the basic principles of social, political, and economic policies and how they impact healthcare delivery and nursing practice. The course provides a basic understanding of government influence, policy-making organizations, healthcare finance, and issues in global and population health, as well as their incorporation into the nurse’s daily practice. The skills of effective political advocacy, activism and empowerment are explored.

If you are looking to advance your current work in nursing, whether that is into a leadership or advanced practical nursing career, rest assured that you do not have to put your life on hold to go back to school. Online nursing courses – at the BSN level, as listed above, or the MSN level – may be the perfect solution for you. Goodwin College’s comprehensive, online nursing program offers flexibility and online learning on a timeline that works busy nurses.

Start pursuing your career goals today by contacting Goodwin College at 800-889-3282. You may also visit us online to request more information.